Questions tagged [taxonomy]
Questions on the classification of biological organisms, and the methods used for classifying them.
251
questions
-2
votes
1answer
59 views
A word that includes plants and fungi, but not animals
Hello biologists and biology enthusiasts!
I am working on a project which includes information about plants and fungi. It would be very helpful for me if there a word that means plants-and-fungi, but ...
0
votes
2answers
84 views
Are animal cells animals themselves?
If all life can be divided into several kingdoms, and if the cells that make up organisms are the smallest units of life, does that mean that cells are part of those kingdoms as well? E.g. are animal ...
2
votes
1answer
40 views
Is amphibians being descended from fish reflected in the animalia taxonomy?
I think it is common knowledge that amphibians are descended from fish. At some point there was a transition from sea to land.
But when I try to confirm this through the Animalia taxonomy, the ...
1
vote
0answers
15 views
Spikelets Inflorescence [closed]
what is spikelet? what is the difference between panicle of spikelets, compound spikelets and spike of spikelet? Could anyone please help me. I ve looked over thousands of websites but i haven't got ...
3
votes
0answers
36 views
Is there a taxonomy of species with emergence and extinction dates?
I know the NCBI has a list of each species and their place in the evolutionary tree. But do they have the dates that these species existed? Does any such database (partial or complete) exist anywhere?
...
2
votes
0answers
12 views
What is the current state of research on the relationship between sponges, ctenophores, and other animals?
I've been reading about the basal taxonomy of animals recently, and it seems as though there is some controversy surrounding the classification of sponges, ctenophores (comb jellies), and all other ...
0
votes
1answer
80 views
confusion in types and kingdom system of classification
I am a high school student and I want to ask: is the 'kingdom system' of classification (two-kingdom, three-kingdom etc.) different from artificial or natural classification? I am asking this because ...
2
votes
0answers
25 views
What websites biologists use to check what new plant or animal species have been discovered in the world?
What are the databases or websites that biologists use to check what new plants or animals have been found in the world? The service should list the location of the discovery, time of discovery, image ...
1
vote
1answer
20 views
Are diplobacillus physically connected?
I know that a diplobacillus is a bacillus bacteria that has a buddy 'attached' to it.
What I haven't been able to determine is exactly how is it 'attached'? Are their cell membranes fused - are they ...
-1
votes
1answer
23 views
What author citation and abbreviation does (would) a monarch or a crown prince get after publishing a new taxon name?
Even though taxonomic rules appear to be silent about this (I've checked ICN Art. 46 and ICZN Art. 51), author citations, as well as abbreviations, are usually based on a surname. However, monarchs ...
20
votes
3answers
5k views
Can 'human' become a genus due to space colonization?
I have read that during the Second World War, some mosquitoes got trapped in the London underground railway system. The mosquitoes never got out and eventually they became a new species by themselves.
...
1
vote
2answers
64 views
Examples of species whose extinct common ancestor is well documented?
If we follow the ascendence line of two closely related species we can build a
"Theoretical" common ancestor, whose characteristics were inherited with few differences by the offspring.
<...
3
votes
0answers
30 views
When a 'v' letter should be changed to 'w' in botanical nomenclature?
When should be 'v' changed to 'w' in botanical names? (especially ones derived from names originally written in cyrillics).
The International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants says ...
1
vote
0answers
36 views
Eukaryotic DNA polymerase in Leading and Lagging Strand
Different books say a different specifications on which eukaryotic DNA polymerase work in leading strand and which DNA polymerase work in lagging strand.
TL,DR: Which one is reality? and if there ...
0
votes
0answers
23 views
What defines a single organism?
I suppose what prompts me to ask this question is my wondering if it is possible to have a multicellular prokaryotic organism. For instance, can a biofilm be considered a single organism? Why or why ...
1
vote
0answers
27 views
Help me identify Grasshopper
I found this Grasshopper in Goa/India. It was about 2cm long. I suspect it is from Cataloipus genus or Gomphocerinae subfamily. Am i correct or it also seems to be juvenile from some other species?
1
vote
2answers
46 views
What could the etymology of Phallodriline be?
I'm reading about a series of gutless worms described in several papers as phallodrilines. A search in the World Register of Marine Species shows that there is a subfamily called "Phallodrilinae", but ...
2
votes
0answers
557 views
How many kingdoms are there actually?
I am wanting to learn (memorise) some of the tree of life; the classification of organisms. So I have come across a lot of kingdoms in my research. Basically, I don’t want to waste my time learning ...
1
vote
2answers
52 views
Umbrella term for “parts of the brain”
I am looking for an umbrella term for general "parts of the brain", esp. for (somehow arbitrary) "subsets of neurons".
For the tree of life there is an umbrella term for all kinds of taxonomic groups ...
0
votes
1answer
57 views
Why are Excavata called “Excavata”?
The explanation given in my textbook is:
Some members of this diverse group also have an “excavated” feeding
groove on one side of the cell body. (Campbell Biology)
This still isn't clear, ...
2
votes
2answers
919 views
What does it mean to share similarities among living organisms “both horizontally and vertically”?
I came across the following lines in a textbook (NCERT biology for class 11).
Systematic and monumental description of life forms, brought in, out of necessity, detailed systems of identification, ...
2
votes
0answers
39 views
What is the current status of the taxon Crocodylus raninus?
What is the current status of the taxon Crocodylus raninus, the Borneo Crocodile? See Wikipedia Is it now a valid species, a subspecies of Crocodylus porosus (The Saltwater Crocodile) or merely a ...
2
votes
1answer
99 views
Helix aspersa or Cornu aspersum
The common garden snail was originally assigned as Helix aspersa and stayed that way for over 200 years. Recently, some biologists assigned it to the genus or subgenus Cornu renaming it to Cornu ...
2
votes
1answer
780 views
Is a lion a bony fish?
If you ask Wikidata "Does the species lion (Q140) have a parent taxon line up to the Osteichthyes (Q27207, bony fishes)?", it answers yes:
...
6
votes
1answer
107 views
3
votes
1answer
60 views
How does taxonomy work? The case of the Avian Dinosaurs
I recently discovered that the class Aves (or Birds) has been renamed Avian Dinosaurs. My question is when this taxonomic denomination achieved the consensus of the scientific community and through ...
1
vote
0answers
71 views
What are the sufficient criteria that make an entity a living homo sapiens? [closed]
When I say criteria I mean like x biological functions or y genetics.
If it were to be appearance,anatomy. A corpse completely looks like a man.
Moreover a person who has had their 4 limbs amputated, ...
3
votes
2answers
156 views
What is a “Valid Species”?
I read in a reference book on Google Books (Biology of Termites: a Modern Synthesis, eds. Bignell, Roisin, and Lo) that the termite Heterotermes perfidus found on the South Atlantic island of St ...
3
votes
0answers
66 views
Laurasia and Gondwana [closed]
The Cambrian explosion was 540 mya. Laurasia and Gondwana didnt collide until 330 mya. So for 210 million years the land was divided into two large continents. Plants and insects had already colonized ...
0
votes
1answer
45 views
Are there species which is debatable if they should be classified as animals or plants?
I'm watching a sci fi series and a character who is a biologist claims "even on Earth there are species which is debatable if they should be classified as animals or plants". I looked for examples of ...
0
votes
0answers
15 views
Database for Macroinvertebrate Taxonomy
I compiled different data sets of invertebrate occurrences across some countries and now I want to ensure that all the taxonomic information is homogenized and correct. To this end, I am looking for a ...
1
vote
1answer
284 views
What are the differences between insects and spiders?
I have always been told that a spider is not an insect, since the former has 8 legs and the latter 6 legs.
Is it just a matter of definition and spiders could have been defined as "8-legged insects"? ...
1
vote
1answer
33 views
How to define ammonites?
I miss the definition of ammonite. In my opinion, many authors confuse the term "Ammonite" and "Ammonoid". Ammonoids (Ammonoidea) are large group of cephalopods including for example goniatites (...
1
vote
0answers
28 views
How are asexual species classified?
Are there multiple distinct genetic lineages of asexual species that are closely enough related to not be considered distinct or does any genetic change result in a new species?
I would assume there'...
0
votes
1answer
125 views
Why is Cannabis Sativa considered a distinct form of Cannabis?
My understanding is that the word Sativa is Latin and means "cultivated." See here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sativum
Since all cannabis consumed by people is cultivated and grown from seed, ...
0
votes
1answer
80 views
Did Plant Cells Evolve from Animal, Protist, or Fungal Cells?
I know protists and animals preceded plants but I am unaware of when fungi arose in relation to plants. At the moment, I cannot find a resource stating how plants evolved from existing kingdoms, or ...
1
vote
1answer
54 views
What sauropod genera had a double row of chevron bones in the tail?
I know that Diplodocus is marked by the feature of having a double row of or "double-beamed" chevron bones in the tail, but how diagnostic is this feature if several other sauropods have it? I mean, ...
3
votes
2answers
927 views
What is (probably) the closest living relative of the trilobite?
The trilobites vanished from the fossil record many millions of years ago, but they were obviously arthropods of some sort. Do we know which animals are their closest living relatives? I've heard both ...
3
votes
2answers
80 views
Is there a way tell apart dinosaurs from similar extinct reptiles?
When I was a child, I thought I knew what a dinosaur was. But, as I grew older, I was told that many of the extinct species that I thought were dinosaurs (dimetrodons, pterosaurs, plesiosaurs, etc.) ...
0
votes
0answers
27 views
Is Wikipedia a good source of taxonomy? [duplicate]
I have been quite interested in biology lately,and I would like to know whether it is a good choice to look up taxonomic information there.
1
vote
2answers
161 views
Why aren't mammals and reptiles considered amphibians?
We've all heard it: birds descend from dinosaurs, so they're dinosaurs too. But this got me thinking: doesn't this mean that, for instance, all terrestrial vertebrates – including humans – are ...
2
votes
0answers
21 views
Using spp. for taxa other than Genus
Can spp. be used for taxa other than genus ? For example Noctuidae spp. meaning certain genera in the Noctuidae family.
4
votes
0answers
37 views
Pre-linnaean names, where can I ask about current IDs?
I run a large website with lots of historical herb books. For the older ones, finding out current botanical names is very difficult.
Can I ask here? If not, does anybody know where I could ask what ...
1
vote
1answer
52 views
Are All Taxonomic Groups Uniquely Named?
The Linnaean classification system classifies and groups organisms into taxonomic groups: Kingdom, Phylum, Class, etc. Obviously, a clade at any taxonomic level is uniquely determined by its ...
1
vote
0answers
25 views
How related do life forms need to be to produce hybrids?
Specifically, I'm asking about infertile hybrids like ligers, mules, camas, etc. How closely related do animals need to be?
-1
votes
1answer
95 views
Why is “VOLVOX” not considered to be in PROTOZA?
Volovox is an Algae, but it moves with the help of Flagella. Protozoa has members that move by Flagella. Why is Volovox taxonomically in the Algae instead of Protozoa?
2
votes
1answer
328 views
Are bears related to dogs in a similar way to how cats are related to 'panthers'?
I've tried searching on Wikipedia but I couldn't find what family dogs belonged to. Ursidae is 'bears' and Canis is 'dogs' ; Panthera is big cats like:- tigers and jaguars is what I know.
0
votes
2answers
626 views
Can two different species in the same genus generally succeed in the same habitat?
This plant-care website writes
In the context of plant care, usually most plants within the same genus need the same environmental conditions suitable for plant growth. If the genus of a plant is ...
2
votes
1answer
22 views
Why is the spirit bear/Kermode bear a subspecies of the American black bear Ursus americanus?
The Kermode bear Ursus americanus kermodei is only found in British Columbia,Canada. The Kermode bear has single nucleotide polymorphism at the melanocortin 1 receptor gene (mc1r) locus which cause ...
17
votes
4answers
4k views
Why do both the mango and the bee have “Indica” in their binomial name?
In my textbook, it is written that the binomial name of mango is Mangifera indica and the binomial name of a bee is Apis indica. Now in the name the second part is the name of species. But mango and ...
